Leicester City boss Claude Puel has said he is looking forward to a 'fantastic' reunion with former club Lille OSC.
The Foxes do battle with the French outfit on Saturday evening, their final pre-season fixture before they begin their Premier League campaign away to Manchester United next weekend. Puel was in charge of Lille between 2002 and 2008 , hence his emotional return to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
'It was a good feeling'
Talking ahead of the clash against his former employers with LCFC.com, the 56-year-old said: "It is my former club and I was the manager during six seasons. I tried to develop the squad and to put in a good structure."
Puel enjoyed plenty of success with Les Dogues, most admirably taking them to second in the Ligue 1 table, as well as numerous campaigns in the UEFA Champions League.
The Frenchman told how enjoyable it would be to return to his old stomping ground. He said: "It was a good feeling, a good moment for me and my family. Of course, it will be a fantastic feeling to come back and to see friends.”
'We can try and make progress'
Despite the emotional attachment for Puel in this particular fixture, he highlighted how focused he was in regards to getting his team prepared for the new season.
“I think it’s the last game we can give more game time for some players,” Puel said. “We can try to make progress about their fitness levels."
He also indicated that the match against Lille would also give him a relatively good idea as to what players would be included in his starting line-up at Old Trafford a week on Friday.
“We will see after which players can start against [Manchester] United. I said for the moment, in the difficulty, I am happy about our training sessions. Now, it’s important to continue this work.”